


Human

by captainamergirl



Series: Tomorrow's Girl [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, F/F, Femslash, Hurt/Comfort, Maybe the Evil Queen isn't such a witch after all, Original Character(s), not fan fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27098002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainamergirl/pseuds/captainamergirl
Summary: Following a near-tragedy at the studio, reigning diva Carole lets her mask of indifference slip for a moment.
Relationships: Evonna Ivan/Eddie Gordon
Series: Tomorrow's Girl [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977307
Collections: femslashficlets: folktale trope challenge





	Human

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: The Girl in the Tower - She's trapped out of reach and far away, and might be longing for rescue or escape.

“Carole, you should head home,” Evonna said, stifling a yawn behind her hand. She was exhausted in every way a person could be. “There’s nothing more we can do here tonight.”

Carole didn’t answer. She continued to stare at the bare white wall in the break room. Slumped in a chair, Carole looked nothing like the bitch on wheels Evonna battled daily. She looked older somehow as if she’d aged ten years in the span of a few turbulent hours.

_"Carole?”_ Evonna tried again. “You looked as tired as I feel. Go home, slip into a hot bath, read a good book, sip some wine. Maybe call your daughter.”

“Rochelle doesn’t want to hear from me,” Carole said. “She’s probably still blocking my calls.”

“It doesn't hurt to try. Maybe if you tell Rochelle what happened this afternoon, she’ll give you a break.”

“Why the hell would I tell her anything about today?”

“You saved a life. She should be proud of you.”

“Why should she be proud of me? Everyone saw me frozen in the hallway, watching Eddie perform CPR. Your girlfriend saved the day, not me.”

“But, if you hadn’t found her in the first place-”

Carole shook her head. “Oh, if you only knew how much I wanted to kill her this afternoon. I went to her dressing room specifically to scream at her for missing rehearsal yet again. I was breathing fire when I opened that door. I never expected to find her collapsed on the floor. It was a fluke.”

“You didn’t hurt her,” Evonna said. “You called for help. That’s what matters.”  
  
 _“Hah.”_

“Angela will be fine. She’s young and strong. She’ll survive this, and she'll kick the habit. Eddie and I will make sure of that.”

“Why didn’t you do something before?” Carole shouted. “You did nothing while she was busy trying to kill herself!"

Carole frequently accused Evonna of the most random things. Evonna usually brushed her words aside and sent her back to her dressing room following a semi-stern talking to. This time, she couldn’t do that.

_Carole wasn’t wrong._

Evonna nodded. “I _did_ sweep it under the rug. It was an uncomfortable topic, and I didn’t want to deal with it. I hoped the problem would resolve itself somehow. I should have sent her to rehab a long time ago. I was foolish.”

“Yes, you were.” Carole sighed. “We allknew what she was doing, though. We made jokes about her ‘little habit’ and talked about her behind her back. Do you know Staci and I actually had a bet going? ‘How many hours can Angela go without a hit?’ The winner had to pay for dinner at Mr. A’s. Angela’s life was only worth a cut of prime rib to us.”

“Carole -”

Carole shot up a hand to stop her. “How many times did Angela come to work with a bright red nose and white power staining her collar? How many times did she fumble her way through a rehearsal? How many times did we find her snorting at the bathroom sink? It was a cry for help, and we all ignored it because we didn’t _want_ to see it. We didn't want to _see_ her. We didn't want the responsibility.

“As far as I’m concerned,” Carole said, “we’re all to blame for what happened here today. We might as well have spoon-fed that coke down her nose. She overdosed because we didn’t care.”

Carole snatched her designer clutch off the table. Shoving past Evonna, she disappeared somewhere into the cloying shadows.

Eddie appeared in the doorway. “Was that Carole I saw hauling ass out of here?”

Legs trembling, Evonna dropped into the chair Carole had vacated. “She’s upset about Angela.”

“Tell me something I don't know."

Evonna ran a shaky hand through her thick mane of black hair. “She was actually upset on Angela’s _behalf._ She blames everybody for just standing by and watching Angela spiral.”

Eddie perched atop the long table; dangled her well-muscled legs over the side. Her eyes traced the floor tiles. “And what do you think?”

“I hate to admit it, but I think she’s right. We were so busy trying to turn this show into a hit that we let one of our lead actresses suffer right in front of us. I don’t know when I started valuing money, awards, and ratings over someone’s life. I feel like such an asshole.”  
  
“If you’re an asshole, I am one too. I could have just as easily checked Angela into rehab, and as executive producer, that responsibility fell on me more than anybody else.”

“Are we terrible people?” Evonna asked, resting her chin on Eddie’s knee. “I mean, when Carole Stevens is the voice of reason-” She didn’t finish the sentence. She couldn’t speak over the knot in her throat.

“Maybe it’s not too late for redemption. We’ll make this right, starting with going to the hospital tonight and checking up on Angela. I was just going to phone her, but that’s not enough.”

“It will never be enough."

“Come on, Von,” Eddie said, proffering Evonna her hand. “Let’s go to her now so you will feel better.”

“Maybe I don’t deserve to feel better, Eddie.”  
  
“Don’t beat yourself up too much, okay? Let me share at least half of the blame.”

Evonna threaded her fingers with Eddie’s, and together they walked towards the exit. “This was the weirdest night ever,” Evonna said as they stepped out into the warm autumn darkness.

“Right. Who would believe Carole had a heart?”

“Oh, I knew she had one, but I thought it was stone.”

“Carole might just be human, after all.”

“We all are,” Evonna murmured.

“Human,” Eddie agreed, “and flawed as fuck.”


End file.
